TennWatch/Volitics

TN Overcharges Taxpayers $900 Million

The Tennessee Center for Policy Research has awarded the 2006 Lump of Coal award to Governor Phil Bredesen and the Tennessee General Assembly for failing to return an estimated $918 million in surplus tax monies to the taxpayers.

Rather than returning the money to Tennesseans by reducing or suspending the state’s six percent sales tax on groceries, lawmakers frittered much of the surplus on pork projects and political payoffs. Among the surplus-funded pork projects are a $1 million program to encourage state employees in Nashville to take the bus to work, a $123,000 grant to a soul music museum in Memphis and $50,000 for an online encyclopedia.

“When customers pay more than an item costs in a store, the cashier gives them their change back. When taxpayers, who are fundamentally customers of government services, overpaid for the cost of government this year, lawmakers kept the change for themselves,” said Drew Johnson, president of the Tennessee Center for Policy Research.

Merry Christmas, TN Taxpayer, You're Screwed Again

74 million dollars in pay raises go into effect 1 January as about half of all state employees will get a pay raise, some over $30,000.

The prevailing Southeastern states government employee wage average determined the amount of raises for each employee category.

In other words, merit had nothing to do with it. Figures.

How is John Ford like Shrek?

Meanwhile in Memphis, ex-legislator John Ford, who is currently waiting trial for corruption charges, has been hit with six more indictments. This time, he is accused of taking more than $800,000 in illegal payments from state contractors associated with TennCare.

A six-count federal indictment charges Ford with wire fraud and concealment of material facts related to huge consulting fees from two firms contracting with TennCare, the state's taxpayer-funded Medicaid program.

Ford schemed with others to hide payments he wasn't legally entitled to receive, prosecutors allege. ...

According to the indictment, the scheme started in 2001 when Doral Dental, a Milwaukee firm seeking a TennCare contract to provide dental benefits management for 620,000 children, first met with Ford. Believing that a bidding process was about to start, Doral executives turned to Ford, then an influential lawmaker who sat on three key Senate committees.

What makes this story even worse for ol' man Ford is that the charges apparently stem from investigations into his finances by the Commercial Appeal when he tried to fight an attempt to increase his child support payments. A North Carolina woman whom he never married wanted to up the payments, but Ford contested it because he just couldn't afford it. After all, he was supporting (and alternately living with) two whole other families:

In the hearing, Ford said he lives some days with ex-wife Tamara Mitchell-Ford and the three children they had together. On others, he said, he stays with his longtime girlfriend, Connie Mathews, and their two children.

So Ford was supporting three families, living with two, married to none. He was taking money disguised as consulting fees from at least one company seemingly set up specifically to make these fees appear legitimate. Yet he later takes bribe money from FBI agents with no appearance of legitimacy at all.

One would think that a conversation between John Ford and Donkey would go something like this:

FORD: For your information, there's a lot more to politicians than people think.

DONKEY: Example?

FORD: Example? Okay, um, politicians are like onions.

DONKEY: [Sniffs] They stink?

FORD: Yes. No!

DONKEY: They make you cry?

FORD: No!

DONKEY: You leave them out in the sun, they get all brown, start sprouting' little white hairs.

FORD: No! Layers! Onions have layers! Politicians have layers! Onions have layers.
You get it? We both have layers. [Sighs]

DONKEY: Oh, you both have layers. Oh. [Sniffs] You know, not everybody likes onions. Cake! Everybody loves cakes! Cakes have layers.

FORD: I don't care... what everyone likes. Politicians are not like cakes.

Up, in John Ford's case politicians are exactly like onions. They stink, make you cry, go rotten and have layer upon layer of lies and deceptions.

Gov. Bredesen's Muslim Christmas

So the Democrat governor of Tennessee decided to put a portrait of a Muslim girl on his Christmas card. It's his card, right? It's not like I'm going to get one, right?

The problem is that this card is a political statement. After all, in the end everything is political. Heck, my Christmas card in 2002 had a real pretty red, white and blue Christmas tree ball on the front and was imprinted with, "May God Watch Over or Troops in Action and Our Commander in Chief".

As I said, everything is political —doubly so when it comes from a politician (I'm just not as subtle as the governor).

So what's Bredesen trying to say? Love your enemy? Muslims deserve Christmas too? Peace, at any cost?

Bredesen tries to explain with this on the back of the card:

While it may seem odd to put a portrait of a young Muslim woman on a Christmas card, this Season reminds us that He loves His children most of all.

Really governor? There aren't children here that you could have put on your card, as in someone from Tennessee? Perhaps a chronically ill indigent that you kicked off the rolls of TennCare. Or an illegal alien that you wish to have identification so they can continue living here. Or one of the corrupt THP officers that you protect. The possibilities are endless.

Make of it what you will, pandering or political correctness or political blundering. Democrats will forgive and Republicans will cry foul, as is the way of the world.

Of course, it could be what AC at Volunteer Voters says it is, a form of rich white liberal disease called competitive altruism:

What I mean by that is that these men tend to bend over backwards, not to embrace and and celebrate the traditions in which they were raised and through which they have thrived, but they instead, in attempt to show how open-minded and benevolent they are, "reach out" and prop up other culture and faiths.

It is not even to curry the favor or the political power of the minority or foreign culture they embrace. It is essentially a status game they engage in with other elite whites.

Gov. Frist?

Bill Frist is rumored to be considering a run for Tennessee Governor in 2010. With his name recognition and personal wealth, he'd be hard to beat.

Other names being floated:

The list of possible 2010 Republican candidates could include U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn of Brentwood, state Rep. Beth Harwell of Nashville, Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam, Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale, state Sen. Majority Leader Ron Ramsey and U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp of Chattanooga. Also, former state Sen. Jim Bryson, who lost the governor's race this year, hasn't closed the door on another run.

Interestingly, even with being stuck on the ass-end of the state in Memphis I recognize all the names except Haslam, but I couldn't tell you whether I'd vote for any except Blackburn.

Hooks Gets 2 Years 2 Months

Tennessee Waltz puts away another one. Today, Michael Hooks Sr., having pleaded guilty to accepting 24K in bribe money as County Commissioner, was sentenced to 26 months in prison.

Hooks, 56, told U.S. Dist. Court Judge J. Daniel Breen he didn't feel he was wrongly prosecuted.

"I made a bad mistake. I've ruined the legacy of this family. I've got to find a way to make that right."

Corruption vs. Racism

Michael Hooks, Sr. goes in front of the judge today to be sentenced for taking $24,200 in bribes from FBI agents in the Tennessee Waltz sting.

Say what you want to about Hooks Sr., but he isn't stupid. Earlier this year Roscoe Dixon refused to show remorse for his part in the corruption scandal and was subsequently sentenced to 63 months in prison (5 yr. and 3 mo.). Hooks evidently learned from this display and has has publicly apologized, pleaded guilty, blamed no one but himself and not once did he play the race card. In fact, Hook's attorney Steve Farese said in court papers:

(Hooks) respectfully submits that he has made an extraordinary public disclosure of his criminal activity which has helped to remove the specter of racism as had been alleged by some. This honest and forthright public admission was a heartfelt act of contrition, which not only lifted a burden from the Defendant but, more importantly, helped vindicate the Government's investigation into public corruption. ... Unlike others similarly situated, (Hooks) never implied that his indictment was based on race or that he never accepted money.

Not Edmund Ford, no sir! In the best Ford tradition, ol' Edmund claims it a vast government conspiracy:

"Hey, they good at making movies," said Ford.

But why would the federal government do such a thing?

During a break in the council meeting, reporters asked [Edmund Ford] why he was still voting. He replied: "I'm innocent, OK? I'm innocent."

Earlier he told The Commercial Appeal "This is about color."

"I'm a child of God, OK? I know what I have not done. Maybe this will open up the eyes of some people."

Yep, open your eyes and see that it must be Bush's fault! After Katrina, everyone knows that he hates minorities (in spite of "a cabinet unprecedented for its inclusiveness").

If fact, according to Edmund, he doesn't have time to be taking bribes!

You know, if anybody knows me, I've always said, if there's some wrong doing I'm going to let the world know. You've been sitting there, when I made those statements, Mike, Ok? I work 5 hard jobs a day. I get up at 7:00 in the morning. I work 7 days a week. So take it from there.

Wow! 5 "hard" jobs every day! Let's see, 8 hours of work per job, five jobs, carry the . . . Whoa! Eddie works 40 hours a day!

Or perhaps he thinks having lunch and asking for bribe money constitues a full days work in one of his "hard" jobs.

And speaking of continuing the race divide, check out this quote from journalist Wendi Thomas:

Black man after black man was making federal court appearances just down the street, while Ford and Peete were trotting their behinds into city hall, for what I fear was business as expected, if not business as usual.

The fact that the vast majority of those arrested as a result of Tennessee Waltz were black has nothing to do with Wendi's story. If a white journalist were to write the exact same phrase the African-American community would rise up as one and shout, "Racist!" So why does a black journalist get to do so? And what good came from doing so?

Peete Classier than E. Ford?

Edmund Ford and Rickey Peete are currently under indictment on federal bribery charges as a result of a public corruption investigation tagged "Main Street Sweeper." They allegedly took bribes in exchange for voting to support a billboard moratorium.

Yesterday was the first city council meeting since the sting went down.

Felon Rickey Peete (he was convicted of bribery 17 years ago but the voters put him back in office anyway) is, so far, apparently the classier of the two. He said he would not vote on any planning and zoning issues and actually resigned as chairman of the Center City Commission.

On the other hand, he retains his seat on the commission and will still vote. Further, he is also a member of the Community Industrial Development Board and the Riverfront Development Corporation. All three of these bodies deal with planning and zoning issues every day. It's what they do and it's all they do! So how is Peete recusing himself from actions for which he is currently (and once again) under indictment?

And how could Peete possibly be classier than Ford?

Because Ford refuses to even consider promising to recuse himself from every zoning vote. And because he is falling into the race-baiting behavior of claiming government conspiracy:

"Hey, they good at making movies," said Ford.

Yeah, that's helpful.

So what is the city council doing to clean up its image?

The council can't make a member resign until they are convicted, but Councilman Jack Sammons proposed a resolution that "humbly, prayerfully and respectfully" requested that Peete and Ford step down from the council and concentrate their energies on their legal defenses.

Voting for the resolution were Carol Chumney, Myron Lowery, Tom Marshall, Scott McCormick, Jack Sammons and Brent Taylor.

Voting against were Dedrick Brittenum, Joe Brown, Barbara Swearengen Holt, E.C. Jones, TaJuan Stout Mitchell and Edmund Ford.

That's right, Ford cast the vote that tied the coucil 6 to 6. (Peete hadn't shown up yet.)

Of course, the coucil can vote to remove Ford and Peete from every committee and commission, thus drastically limiting their power. Anyone think that'll happen?

Wendi Nails One

Quote of the Day comes from Wendi Thomas, who for once gets something absolutely right as she writes about the recent arrests of Memphis City Councilmen Rickey Peete and Edmund Ford:

No insult to addicts intended, this award goes to anyone whose behavior is so bizarre, so devoid of any common sense, so head-scratchingly stupid that the only explanation is a serious addiction to the crack pipe.

Indeed, as Wendi goes on to point out there have been a steady stream of arrests for the last 16 months of officials and gadflys on bribery and corruption charges. Who but an utter idiot would consider taking a bribe in this environment?

Only those who are arrogant enough to think that they won't get caught and, even if they do, will either get freed by a Memphean jury or re-elected by Memphis voters after doing a very short sentence.

The sad thing is that the latter is undoubtedly true.

Who Said That?

News journalist Cameron Harper blogs this conversation, recently heard at City Hall:

"You really should resign.",

"No way man, you couldn't pay me to leave."

Heh. So was it Ricky Peete or Edmund Ford?